Best Mexican food I've had yet! Great little spot, plenty of parking. Very clean and friendly. Menu is amazing with lots of homemade foods. NOT YOUR CHAIN RESTAURANT FAJITAS. Home made Tortillas. I highly recommend the wet aged skirt steak!!!!! Best Fajitas I've ever had. Everyone loved their meals! read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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Service was friendly, efficient, and our food arrived at the table quickly. Unfortunately, the quality of the food didn't quite justify the prices. The tableside ceviche was lacking in flavor and needed additional salt and lime to bring it to life. I was especially looking forward to it because I had the same dish years ago at the French Quarter location, and it was absolutely outstanding. The mixed grill entrée was the highlight of the meal--well prepared, flavorful, and generous enough to share. However, the flour tortillas served alongside it were dry, hard, and difficult to eat, which took away from an otherwise enjoyable dish. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Mixed Grill (Michoacan Style) - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

Had dinner here with a friend and I knew it would be great from the salsa. The chips and salsa always lets you know how well the food will be in my opinion. The salsa was spicy and flavorful. I ordered the brisket burrito and it was HUGE! It was packed with brisket, caramelized onions, rice, beans, and cheese. The guacamole and sour cream were on the side and it was topped in salsa and cheese. It was sooooo good and flavorful! The brisket was delicious! I brought half home to have for lunch the next day. Gretna has some amazing food spots, no need to go to the city! The service here is great as well. Our waitress was very attentive, checking to make sure we were good and enjoying our meal. I always assumed this spot didn't get business because it never seems packed. Well, that's because the party is on the inside. There was a nice amount of people dining in and they sing happy birthday to guests! read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Brisket Burrito w Salsa - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

Great food and service located in the heart of Old Gretna. They were busy but all the servers were super friendly and helpful. read more

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Good Mexican spot in old town Gretna! I've been here many times for business lunches and just realized that I had never posted a review. Food is always good, I don't drink anymore but when I did, it he margaritas were a treat. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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This location of El Gato Negro sadly on average just isn't quite as good as the others with the biggest issue being service often seems to be especially lacking. The building the restaurant is located in is nice enough and they seem to have created a pleasant ambiance. I've unfortunately also found the food here to be less good than at their other spots. It does often get VERY crowded in here so that can be at least one excuse for some of the poor service. However, I have been here when it was pretty dead and still experienced poor service so it seems to be a common pattern at this spot for whatever reason that you go for long periods of time without a server. Overall this is still a decent spot to grab some more high end Mexican food that tends to be more pricy than other Mexican joints. Overall if I'm paying the higher prices for the fancier food I expect better service to go along with it. read more

Great margaritas Mango on the rocks Definitely enjoyed tableside guacamole so fresh with lots of lime Had delicious skirt steak tacos Corn tortillas here are the best and fresh made in the kitchen Service with a smile Belly full I'm happy read more

In my opinion, slightly deceptive pricing on their tacos. Nothing really stands out as really really good

Ordered Carne Asada with add on shrimp (4) $8.74 The Carne Asada wasn't even warm, the beans on the plate were COLD, like right out the fridge. Thats plate was $37.00 Then we also ordered El burrito con mole that barely had any chicken in it and it was missing the queso and poblano. Made a complaint to the waitress, all that was that was offered was to warm up the beans and steak. This second time here and they are never busy. I have had other locations and they are wonderful, but gretna location needs some work!!! That waitress should have never been okay with those plates making it to the table! read more

I really wanted to love El Gato. Unfortunately, just like the other location, the drinks are really the only thing worth going for. If they had seating outside, it would probably make a cute happy hour spot. But inside is rather small and so loud. The food is not bad. But I think there are better, more affordable options around. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

To start, the upcharges are ridiculous. Table of four gets one salsa and $1.95 for each additional mini salsa. My 7 year old ordered on soft taco, meat and cheese only which cost over $9 with cheese addition. Sour cream, upcharge, bathroom upcharge, clean the table upcharge. Probably the reason why only two tables were occupied on a Friday evening. read more

If I could give a zero I would. I have eaten at all three locations. This was totally ridiculous. It took 2 hours to eat lunch. ( Nothing special) The food came out cold!! The shrimp & lobster smelled very fishy !! They charge you extra for everything!! You would think you would get cheese with your fajitas but no up charge. I know this is what you would call a upscale Mexican restaurant but the service & quality is no there anymore. Oh, than they add an up charge for credit cards too. Hate to say but that was my last visit. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Tableside Guacamole This was a total joke. - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

I've heard about El Gato for years... gotta try it, gotta try it. So, I tried it.  Went to the one in Gretna. Very nice interior, colorful, clean. Got the salsa and chips. Salsa... really sweet tomatoes and onion. No cumin, garlic, no jalapeños,  no FLAVOR. Chips, very salty. I ordered the Enchilada trío, with beans and rice. I cant go any further. Its food. Its fresh. Its mexican STYLE food. Its not mexican flavor. I guess in some áreas if you throw anything on or in a tortilla they call it mexican food. Everything I had was bland. I could taste no garlic, no cumin, no heat, no spice. I saw no jalapeños,  or even cilantro. As a matter of fact, I thought I saw cilantro in the pico de gallo. Nope, turns out Its just bland old parsley. I ate 1/2 of the entree. Couldn't go any further.  If you like bland food in a nice setting, this could be for you. read more

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This place gave me the equivalent of a kids meal for almost $20. I ordered a quesadilla to go and they gave me the smallest quesadilla I've ever seen in my life. It looked like a kids size. It did come with chips and salsa an abundance of chips might I add. But it wasn't dressed with anything else like quesadillas normally are. I should've known because it was very empty with only one table of customers. I wouldn't recommend it. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - These were the last two quesadillas left. Notice the small size. - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

Everything was good except the Quesidilla. $16.75 plus more for the steak for two folded tiny taco tortillas with about two ounces of meat across the four quarters. $1.75 for a glorified kids menu item. Total and complete rip off. Service was good at least. read more

We went on a Friday evening. 2/10/23 We walked in & no hostess at the door. Took a minute to be seated. But the place was PACKED! They have a bar to sit at if you're alone & lots of options for drinks. One side of the menu is food & the other is drinks. (A little disappointed they didn't have a kids menu, if they do they didn't offer one) which is why we just ordered a basic chicken quesadilla for our toddler. The food me & my husband ordered was amazing. The flavor was there! The salsa was delicious & so was the queso! Corn chips were thick & crispy & tasted fresh! This is our new favorite place for Mexican food. It's close to home on the westbank. This was our first time & I hope next time it won't be as busy & little better service but I try my best not to make first impressions stick. The food & drinks sold us to return. Can't wait for our next visit. read more

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This place never disappoints!! Food is amazing and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Location is also cool, lots of things to do near by if you wanna have a date night. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Tequila flight - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

This was my first time dining at any of the El Gato Negro locations and I'm glad that my first experience was at the Gretna location. First of all, how cute is downtown Gretna? Who knew?! (I'm from the East y'all, don't come for my neck, lol. I don't usually be over here 'round these parts). We stopped in around noon on a Friday and it was surprisingly chill and quiet for lunch time, but that was a-ok for me. It's an intimate dining room, but very charming and cute. I loved the tequila bottles that lined the perimeter of the room. Our server Isaac was the absolute best and took great care of us. He was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. We asked for some suggestions since it was our first time in and all of them were bomb. We got their strawberry pineapple margarita that was on special that day (really enjoyed!), the stuffed avocado and the mixed grill (an assortment of grilled meats and veggies). The avocado really stole the show for us. It had large shrimp that were cooked perfectly, mushrooms, corn, pico, and this fantastic garlic cream sauce *Homer Simpson drools*. The mixed grill was also super yummy; a really nice light selection that's also very filling. The lambchop was *perfection*. We split both dishes between two people and still had leftovers of both to take with us. I've seen several reviews mention the price and it is a little more expensive than you might expect (it was almost $90 for two drinks, one app, and one entree), but if you decide to treat yourself you won't leave hungry or disappointed. read more

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Fantastic! Downtown Gretna has really come into its own with all of the shops and restaurants that have arisen in the past couple of years. El Gato Negro is no exception. Came here on Sunday with the the baby for some quick Mexican. We were seated immediately with chips and salsa. Their queso is really good! My wife had the salad that she said was amazing while I had the macho man which was a lot of food and worth the price! Their margaritas are really good and if you check in with Yelp, you will get a discount for one. Give it a try! read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Nice menu! - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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The food was decent but not exciting or amazing. It's like most other Mexican food restaurants as far as what they serve and taste. I was unhappy with all the upcharge for adding toppings on your taco and asking for more salsa. It seemed the prices for everything were above average and then upcharge you for everything that comes standard on a Mexican dish. $70 for 4 tacos, a dinner plate of enchiladas and 3 waters is ridiculous. Won't be back. read more

I have been to El Gato Negro by French market and in Lakeview previously but it was my first time at Gretna location. It looked a lot different than the two other locations but once I saw the menu, I knew it was that good ole El Gato Negro! First off, the location - I have been living in New Orleans for 11 years yet I had no clue that historic Gretna area is so stinking cute? It almost felt like that area belongs to a different city! I came here for lunch and there was a very cute coffee shop next door so I think you can incorporate El gato as one of the spots on your date. Food is exactly what I expected. Very fresh, and hot steaming skillet for fajita. If you already have been to other locations, It is up to part with those. Very similar, if not the exact same menu. Service is again what I expected. Very attentive and cannot complain. I saw a few reviews regarding how El Gato is overpriced. It might be overpriced for Gretna neighborhood but they were literally the same as the other locations. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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Service, food, and ambiance was good and perfect for a date night! The lobster taco was the best thing I've ever eaten!

This is my 2nd time visiting LA, I have been blown away with how kind and nice everyone has been until visiting El Gato Negro. Our waitress has 0% customer service skill (didn't provide a name, she was short, skinny, curly hair, young) overfilled our cups with ice and provided no straws after asking multiple times, unable to drink our drinks without spilling ice. Asked several questions about the menu she did not know the answers, we ordered two plates of chicken sour cream enchiladas instead we got two red sauce enchiladas with a small dab of sour cream on the side. She said that's how they prepare them we said fine maybe our mistake for not searching for an image first. My enchiladas had a huge piece of cartilage, I was so grossed out after biting it that i could not continue eating, I was maybe 3 bites in to my dinner. I mentioned it and showed the waitress and she simply took my plate away, did not discount or take it off the check. My daughter also only picked at her meal since she only likes sour cream sauce. She removed our cups from the table mid-meal did not offer refills or asked if we wanted water or anything. We ended sharing one cup of water between 3 of us. Don't recommend this place if you like good customer service. read more

7/18/21 Well it's time for an update. To be honest we had started dinning in and it was good but service was really good. Decided to get a take out order because that's what the fam wanted and order was wrong and no chips but hey it was a bad night. Tonight the fam wanted it again and sure enough no chips again even though I specifically asked for them (I know my fault, I should have checked). I called in and what prompted this review was the I don't care attitude by the "manager". So I'll take this up with the owner. And I decided to just enjoy what we had. The enchiladas were crammed into a container into a mass that was unrecognizable. The steak tacos were so salty we had to throw them away. I'll let the pictures describe the flan read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Supposed to be flan - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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Not sure how I feel about this. When do you add a 20% automatic gratuity on a take out order. I don't mind tipping but to automatically add 20% to my bill seems greedy. When I asked Sandra (manager) she stated that the kitchen staff needs to be paid to prepare our order. Seriously? Isn't this what the restaurant should be paying their employees, now the customer has to pay their kitchen staff to package our food for take out? With the increases in your prices now for your food, you would think you would have enough money to pay your kitchen staff. This is how you out price yourself out of business. We place a lot of orders for our office lunches but after today, no more. This is greed at a whole different level. The food is mediocre to good but charging 20% for not any service whatsoever is pathetic. Shame on your El Gato Negro. You have lost a customer. read more

This place really soothed my soul tonight. So, as it happens, I've been waiting a year for this El Gato Negro to open. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Gato announced their Gretna location over a year ago, but you know how a pandemic goes. David and I went tonight because we are 3 days out from a Cat 3 hurricane hitting the city (Zeta) and we still don't have power. Peanut butter sandwiches and dry cereal only goes so far. In search of a good, warm meal, we headed to the very-powered old Gretna for some grub. This spot is beautiful and my goodness, you can really see all the work they put into it. The inside has an upstairs and downstairs and every detail is perfect. They didn't just throw this place together, because it's on the Westbank. They put the work in. We started with some amazing queso dip, which was out of this world. I had a pulled pork burrito and David had an enchilada platter. I also had a frozen margarita because...hurricane. All of the food and the drink were delicious. My burrito was packed with goodies and the pork was tender and flavorful. My margarita was great and I could tell it was made fresh. David loved his enchilada platter. It was a win on all angles. One special touch I appreciated was the mention of "historic Gretna" on their signage and drink glasses. That makes for a nice touch and makes you feel like the restaurant is invested in the area. We greatly enjoyed our meal here and we will absolutely be back. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Burrito - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

My 3.5 stars is over the prices. Last time I ate at a El Gato, I think it was two years ago after the San Fermin NolaBulls event at the s. Peters location the tacos were $3.50. Long story short, just two people, one app, 2 tacos, 2 beers, a coke and one dish was in the $91 range. At first I thought it was this location that jacked it up but I ate at the Harrison location 4 days ago from typing this and prices were the same. Don't believe me, the old menu is still posted online with the old prices. Thats when this was awesome. Food is still very yummy, portions are good but I just cant swing that price. Too many Mexican places around here now that are just as good or better in some ways that are cheaper. The staff is friendly, the decor is nice, I am happy to see downtown Gretna booming with nice places. Peace and love peace and love. Just too pricey for me. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

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If you want to be told no to everything you ask for this is the place to go. - No kids menu - No kid cup lids - super fun. - Nothing for kids to color with not even a pen and paper - we asked and of course told "no." - Our margaritas were so sour, but when you complain, you get lectured on its "made fresh", but then we had to pay extra for shots to try to fix it because, yup, surprising; "nothing they can do." The shot arrives and it isn't even half full. So we still cant fix the over sour-ness. I love paying $16 for a glass of lime juice. Don't you? Food is good. But I wont be back. It is called "service industry" for a reason. Nothing we asked for him was un-reasonable. Customer service is severely lacking. read more

Amazing mole- best i've ever tasted. Very large portions for reasonable prices. The service was attentive but not intrusive.

I keep getting the same menu item every time, but it's just so fresh! The quality here is superior to many Mexican restaurants and it justifies the higher prices (on some things). The cocktails are amazing and reasonably priced. I like having a location on the West Bank although Lakeview rocks with their beautiful outdoor/patio seating. For me, having a gluten free menu and knowledgeable staff makes all the difference, and I will continue to choose Gato Negro over any other Mexican restaurant! read more

I've eaten in once and ordered take-out once. The ingredients for each dish were fresh and visually pleasing. I went during a slow period each time, so I can't speak what service is like during lunch or dinner, but service was immediate and courteous each time that I went. The restaurant is bright and inviting. The tables are long enough to host 4-6 people. I don't recall seeing smaller tables and I didn't see a bar. I mention table size only because single people are often forced to sit at the bar. I was able to sit at a table! Paid Parking is available in the covered area nearby. Parking is shared by all of the small restaurants, coffee houses, and business alone this stretch of road. read more

Wasn't happy about the automatic 20% tip on a TAKEOUT ORDER. I usually tip for take out orders but 20% is ridiculous. I accepted paying the tip because they said it is for the servers and coins who prepare the meal. I come home to find no silverware or napkins in my bag. They claim they don't provide that automatically. Entitlement at its finest. read more

Shrimp burrito had just 4 shrimp and they were spoiled. Queso sauce was watery and flavorless. Drinks are mostly ice. Lots of hidden up charges. read more

If I could give this restaurant less stars I would. It was a Friday night after a long week and we just wanted great margaritas, chips, salsa and good food. We didn't get past the $16 margaritas because there was no alcohol and they were extremely disappointing. We asked our server to please take the drinks off the bill and she said she'd talk to her manager. The manager came to our table and lectured us on how their tequila was smooth, high quality, top self and how the agave plant was instrumental to the smoothness to their tequila. Honestly, I stopped listening after she said that. She then said she had to call her district manger about taking the two margaritas off of our bill. She returned to our table to say she was going to charge us for two virgin margaritas instead. So they wanted to now charge us for drinks we didn't order. We still said no, so then they sent out yet another manager, maybe a manager, because this restaurant seems to have a lot of them. They finally took the drinks off the bill. Horrible customer service, argumentative and they were clearly lying. Too many other places to go in the city to have great drinks. This place isn't it! read more

Skip the east bank, this place is absolutely phenomenal, the queso is perfect and so are the specialty margaritas. This is the creme de la creme for Mexican cuisine in the New Orleans area. Come to the OG, Old Gretna for the best El Gato in the area. Strongest margaritas, and the best food, this was a pleasant surprise. You will not be disappointed. read more

El Gato Negro Gretna - Bars Near Me - Gretna, Louisiana

Delicious Mexican food! Definitely a gem on the westbank! Order the queso! Best I've had anywhere. read more

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Best Mexican food if your in Gretna and all the bars and levee make it a nice area to hangout !!!!!

Quiet little Mexican restaurant in old Gretna. The food is great, the service is great.

I asked for a veggie fajitas with no onions. I get a plate loaded with under cooked onions with tomatoes sliced for hamburgers . They were out of toco shells so a friend could not get tocos. Really no taco shells at Mexican restaurant. The Westbank locations food is terrible. read more

Always have loved El gato negro. Have been to the one in Nola and always had a great experience. The guac was not like it was in Nola, it was very small. There were very little people in the restaurant and it took over an hour for us to get our food. Had 3 people with me everyone's food came out at completely different times. I can promise you I will not be back. read more